A typical projectile, or bullet, as fired from a weapon typically surrounds a projectile having a lead composition. Some of these typical projectiles also have what is commonly referred to as a full metal jacket. A full metal jacket refers to a projectile that uses a soft metallic core, such as lead, surrounded by a harder jacketing material, such as gilding metal or cupronickel. The jacketing material offers a higher level of lubricity for reduced reloading failures as well as reduced friction and wear on parts of the firearm. The full metal jacket design improves firearm feeding particularly surrounding those which use mechanical manipulation for the reloading process. The benefits of improved firearm feeding are particularly important for firearms which are semi-automatic or fully automatic in reloading operation. The metal jacketing also allows for increased muzzle velocity, the speed at which a projectile exits the barrel of a firearm, without leaving significant deposits of metal in the bore. Deposits of metal within the bore can lead to unsafe or unreliable firearm operation.
The first metal jacketed bullet was introduced in 1882 and the technology used to manufacture bullets has not substantially changed since WWII. Manufacturers have been limited to assembling metals and alloys in incrementally different ways, without an impactful leap in technology to provide the ability to create and execute new and innovative designs.
The main focus point of projectile development surrounds ballistic performance of projectiles to provide longer and flatter trajectory. Other functional developments surrounding projectiles modify the intended use of the projectile by modifying the internal composition of the projectile. For example, certain projectiles use a hardened metal core for armor defeating purposes, while some projectiles use a powdered core material to limit fragments from impacting unintended targets after impacting a primary target.
The standard modern firearm loads and fires projectiles from a cartridge. A modern cartridge typically consists of a casing, which holds all the parts together to be fired as one unit. The casing, typically made of brass, holds a propellant such as gunpowder within, and has a projectile press-fit into the open top. A primer, which is used to initiate the charge of propellant, is integrated into the bottom of the casing. When the primer is struck, it initiates the propellant charge which then launches the projectile from the casing and through the firearm barrel. A rim, also at the bottom of the casing, allows for the mechanical extraction of the casing from the firearm.
A need now exists for projectiles that are multi-functional, and/or projectiles that can have specifically tailored performance characteristics, and/or projectiles that can be produced with specific physical or material characteristics in a cost-effective, reproducible and time expedient manner. Existing technologies are unable to meet requirements necessary to perform certain tasks effectively without having tradeoffs in performance, reproducibility, safety or cost.